“I’m not running from anyone, I’ve never done that. If it’s for the title, why not fight Topuria? I’m looking for the title,” said Charles Oliveira, all game to welcome the former featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria, into the lightweight division, as long as it was a title fight. Of course, Oliveira agreed to fight Topuria after ‘La Leyenda’ insulted his record, laden with 10 losses. Well, Topuria has only one desire in the lightweight realm. That is to become the champion of the division. And if Oliveira stood in his path, he wouldn’t back away from a showdown, would he?
On episode #166 of the JRE MMA Show, Topuria made an appearance and had a 2-hour-long talk with Joe Rogan. Needless to say, there was a moment when the duo discussed Topuria’s future in the lightweight division. Even before the Spaniard vacated his featherweight championship title, he kept his stance strong with his desire to fight Islam Makhachev for the lightweight belt. And Rogan seemed content with that. After all, Topuria had already defeated the likes of Max Holloway, Alexander Volkanovski, and many others. It was indeed his time to shine with a lightweight title shot. But if he didn’t get to fight Makhachev, would Topuria fight anyone else?
Well, Oliveira seemed like a good match for the Spaniard. He said, “Anyways, if they give me the fight with Charles, it’s going to be one, too.” And the 57-year-old JRE host was impressed. He remarked, “That’s a great fight, too. There’s a lot og guys in that division, you know. There’s a lot of good fights for you at 155 pounds.” And as far as the timeline for Topuria’s next bout is concerned, he has already announced on X that his training camp has commenced. Responding to that, Alvaro Colmenero revealed that ‘La Leyenda’ is reportedly set to fight at the International Fight Week, i.e., UFC 317.
Nevertheless, when Rogan asked about the timeline, Topuria claimed that he’d love to fight the Dagestani champion for sure. But what if the UFC officials pitted him against another fighter, say Charles Oliveira, for the #1 contender’s spot? Would the former featherweight champion take up that fight? Topuria responded, “I wouldn’t fight for a number one contender fight.”
Confused? Let veteran MMA reporter Ariel Helwani clarify things for you. He responded to Topuria’s X post with an explanation that read, “As discussed on the show today, Ilia is going to fight on June 28. The question is, will it be against Islam for the 155 belt, or will it be against Charles for the vacant?We should know soon. But he should 100% be on there and he should 100% fight for gold.”
It was crystal clear. Topuria wanted to fight ‘Do Bronx’ if the Brazilian took control of the lightweight throne. No doubt, Oliveira vs. Topuria is a fight that the fighting community would love to watch. But Merab Dvalishvili believed that it was a stupid matchup for ‘La Leyenda’. Let’s find out why.
Merab Dvalishvili doesn’t like the idea of Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira
During a conversation with Jake Shields on the Fight Back Podcast, the bantamweight champion made his feelings known about Topuria’s stance in the lightweight division. It’s a well-known fact that ‘La Leyenda’ wants to fight Makhachev for the belt. But the Dagestani champion has seemingly avoided the matchup, claiming that he didn’t want to fight ‘small guys’. On top of that, Makhachev wanted Topuria to prove himself by winning against some of the top contenders in the weight class. But ‘The Machine’ wasn’t happy with it.
Dvalishvili said, “He’s saying he’s not a featherweight, he’s lightweight and he’s champion. Who you have—I know Islam is saying, ‘Oh, I don’t want to fight small guys.’ But Ilia is f—– the biggest name.” But he knew the dangers that Makhachev brought to the Octagon. After all, he has already defeated fighters like Arman Tsarukyan, Dustin Poirier, and ‘Do Bronx’, too. Dvalishvili continued, “It’s not going to be an easy fight for Ilia, but that’s the fight to—Ilia’s my friend, I love him, but it’s going to be stupid if he fights Oliveira, if he loses to Oliveira. This is the superfight.”
Nevertheless, the fight between Topuria and Oliveira might happen after Makhachev vacates the lightweight belt and moves to the welterweight realm. Yes, just like Topuria, Makhachev has the aspirations to become a two-division champion. But will that happen after he fights Topuria? That remains to be seen.
What are your thoughts on the matchup between Topuria and Oliveira? Do you think this is the fight that the UFC should make before letting the Spaniard have a title shot? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
The post With UFC 317 Fight All but Confirmed, Ilia Topuria Gives 1 Condition to Joe Rogan to Face Charles Oliveira appeared first on EssentiallySports.
